| Detail | For this role |
|---|---|
| Department | Sales and Business Development |
| Level | Entry level |
| Reports to | Sales Officer |
| Direct reports | None |
| Experience | Fresher or up to 2 years in field sales |
Sales Representative job description template
Copy this job description, replace the text in square brackets and post it on your careers page or a job portal.
Job title: Sales Representative
Department: Sales and Business Development
Reports to: Sales Officer
Location: [City], [office, branch or site]
About the role
A Sales Representative is a front line seller who represents the company to customers and retailers, taking orders, building relationships and pushing sales in the market. They cover a route or set of customers, present products, book orders and keep customers served. A good sales representative keeps customers happy, grows their orders and reports the market clearly. The role reports to a sales officer or manager and is an entry field selling role across consumer goods and distribution.
Key responsibilities
- Visit assigned customers and retailers on a planned route regularly.
- Present products and take orders for the company's range.
- Ensure customers have the right stock and displays in place.
- Build friendly relationships with customers to grow their orders.
- Explain offers and schemes and encourage customers to take them up.
- Deliver or arrange delivery and collect payment as per policy.
- Add new customers along the route wherever the chance arises.
- Handle customer complaints and pass on what needs escalation.
- Record visits, orders and payments accurately in the sales app.
- Report daily orders and market feedback to the reporting officer.
Requirements
- Higher secondary or graduate in any discipline
- Field sales experience is preferred
- Willingness to travel the route
- Fresher or up to 2 years in field sales
KRAs and KPIs for a Sales Representative
Key result areas for the appraisal form, each with a KPI you can measure every month or quarter.
| Key result area | How to measure it |
|---|---|
| Sales target | Route sales meet the assigned monthly target |
| Coverage | Customers on the route covered per the plan each day |
| Order value | Average order value per customer grown as planned |
| New customers | New customers added on the route as per the plan |
| Collections | Payments collected as per the credit policy |
| Data accuracy | Visit and order data recorded accurately in the app |
Skills and tools
Tools used day to day: Sales app, Smartphone, Order book, Product samples.
Reporting line and career path
Next roles: Sales Officer, Field Sales Executive, Area Sales Officer
Interview questions for a Sales Representative
- How do you cover your route each day?
- How do you take an order and suggest more?
- How do you build a good relationship with a customer?
- How do you handle a customer complaint on the route?
- How do you encourage a customer to try an offer?
- Tell me about a customer you turned into a regular buyer.
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What does a sales representative do?
A sales representative is a front line seller who represents the company to customers and retailers. They cover a route, present products, take orders and build relationships. They ensure stock and displays, explain offers, collect payments and add new customers. They handle complaints and record their visits, keeping customers served and growing their orders on the route.
What is the difference between a sales representative and a sales officer?
A sales representative is usually a front line, entry field role covering a route and taking orders. A sales officer often has a slightly wider remit, covering an area with more responsibility for coverage, distributors and secondary sales. The titles overlap by company, but representative tends to be the more junior of the two.
Is sales representative a good entry job?
Yes. It is a common front line entry into field sales, often open to freshers and those with local market knowledge. It teaches customer handling, order taking and route coverage. Doing it well builds a foundation for sales officer and field sales executive roles, and strong performers grow into supervisory and management positions.